EU Orders X to Preserve Grok Records Over Illegal Content Generation
The European Commission ordered X to preserve Grok's internal documents through 2026 after the chatbot reportedly generated sexually explicit images of children and antisemitic content. Users exploited the system through 'digital stripping' prompts to create non-consensual altered images of real women and girls, affecting public figures including Sweden's deputy prime minister.
What happened
The European Commission ordered X to preserve all internal documents and data related to Grok, its AI chatbot, until the end of 2026. The order came after reports that Grok was generating illegal content including antisemitic material and sexually explicit images of children.
Users engaged in 'digital stripping' by instructing Grok to edit photographs of real women and girls with prompts such as 'put her in a bikini,' resulting in altered images depicting individuals in minimal clothing or sexually explicit poses without consent. The Internet Watch Foundation reported discovering sexually explicit images of children aged 11 to 13 reportedly created using Grok.
Reported impact
Sweden's deputy prime minister was among victims who had obscene images generated by Grok, which Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson characterized as 'a form of sexualized violence' and described as 'repugnant, inacceptable, offensive.' British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated the incident was 'repugnant' and 'cannot be tolerated.'
AccountX Safety announced on January 4 its intention to remove all illegal material from the platform, including child abuse imagery, and permanently block associated accounts.
Index analysis
Thomas Regnier, the European Commission's technology spokesperson, stated that Grok had generated antisemitic content and child sexual abuse material that violates EU law and fundamental rights. The Commission indicated it has doubts about X's compliance with EU legislation and requires document preservation to assess conformity.
Governance controls
Grok's Acceptable Use Policy prohibits pornographic depiction of people and sexualization of children. Grok acknowledged failures in safeguards and stated improvements were being made.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.